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Emma shrugged, picking out the remaining stragglers.
“Yeah, but, a dozen or two tops. This is like…hundreds if not thousands. Somebody…somethingput these in here.”
Jasper sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Dang it. And we were havin’ a good day too. Come on, hop in here. We’ve gotta tell Anthony and Clarissa about this.”
Jolene and Emma hopped in as he started the truck, and threw it into reverse. They drove the short distance toThe Rock Barand found off-street parking. This time, Jasper left his windows up and locked his truck.
Clarissa smiled at them from behind the bar as they walked in, but it faded when she saw their reluctant faces.
“Oh no.” She sighed, waving them over to a small cluster of empty bar stools. The rest, along with all of the booths and tables, were occupied.
“I don’t like the looks on your faces,” she admitted, making a face. “I’m fixing you some Bloody Marys with my secret sauce.” She pulled out some menus and handed them over. “We’re back on the regular menu, but get whatever you want on the house. Give Anthony an hour to deal with the customers and we’ll talk.”
Clarissa gave her orders like a general, then marched off in her signature shorts and cowboy boots to go make the drinks.
“You know, your sister can be a little scary sometimes,” Jasper said, leaning over to Jolene. She smirked.
“Yes, she can. She’s the strongest of our bunch, though. The kindest too. She’s meant to be the leader.”
“You love her a lot, don’t you, honey?” Emma asked, her tone soft. Jolene gave her a big, but closed-mouth smile.
“With all my heart. I’m glad to see her doing so well. She deserves it.”
Emma, sitting on the other side of Jolene, leaned in so she could whisper.
“Did something happen? Clarissa doesn’t talk about her past much, but when she does, it’s peculiar bits and pieces. Is she okay? Should we be looking out for her?”
Jolene was touched by Emma’s concern, but didn’t believe in telling stories that weren’t her own.
“I won’t speak on Clarissa’s past, that’s her secret to reveal when and if she’s ready, but I will say, an extra pair of eyes always helps. Thank you for being such a good friend to her.”
Emma squeezed Jolene’s arm affectionately and winked at her.
“You got it,” she replied, as Clarissa brought over a stack of four glasses and a large pitcher of Bloody Mary mix. She sat it down and poured them all a tall glass, then pulled out four long toothpicks heavily covered in olives, pickles, pickled onions, and pickled green beans. She topped them off by dunking a big celery stick in each of them.
“All right, there’s some vitamins; now, what do y’all want to eat?”
* * *
Unable to decideon just one thing, the three of them chose to order one of every appetizer and a large bowl of the house salad. While they waited for Clarissa and Anthony to tend to their customers, Emma told them more about what was happening in Folly Beach. She told them about the strange fire call, the misdirection in the woods, and the way she sometimes felt like she wasn’t alone.
Jasper and Jolene listened with no judgment. Growing up in the back swamps of Louisiana had put her in contact with a lot of unexplainable things, and she wasn’t one to turn her nose up to the paranormal. Jasper didn’t seem too put off by the new details either, and Jolene found herself wondering why. What had this cowboy seen on the Texas range that he was used to such things?
“Jolene, why are you looking at me like that?” Jasper asked pointedly, looking her up and down.
Not realizing she was staring, Jolene suddenly snapped to attention and looked up.
“Huh?”
Behind her, Emma stifled a giggle, and Jolene felt the back of her neck burn hot with embarrassment.
“You are looking at me like you’re trying to figure out whether you want to curb-stomp me or feed me to a pack of wolves!” he exclaimed, chuckling as he shook his head.
“Why do you look so mad at me?”
The redness spread to Jolene’s cheeks and she quickly apologized and laughed it off.
